GAZA CITY, 6 October 2005 — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon next week, their first summit since Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip, Sharon’s office announced yesterday.
A statement posted on the office website quoted Sharon as telling Jordan’s King Abdallah by telephone that “he intends to meet the Palestinian Authority chairman next week in order to advance the various issues on the agenda.”
In Amman, a Jordanian palace official told Reuters that the summit would take place on Tuesday, at Abdallah’s behest. But both Palestinian and Israeli officials said the date and venue would be set when Sharon’s and Abbas’ aides meet tomorrow.
Israel’s pullbacks from Gaza and a corner of the West Bank, completed on Sept. 12, were the first removal of Jewish settlements from occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood and stirred international hopes of ending five years of fighting.
A summit expected earlier this month was deferred because of a lack of preparation and amid a surge in violence, with Israel answering militant rocket fire from Gaza with airstrikes and arrest sweeps.
Sharon and Abbas held their first summit in February, soon after Abbas was elected to succeed late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and declared a cease-fire which paved the way for the Israeli withdrawals.
A second meeting, in Jerusalem in June, was overshadowed by fresh bloodshed and recrimination over mutual failures to honor commitments under the US-led peace road map. But Sharon and Abbas cemented an agreement to coordinate the Gaza pullout.
The Palestinians say a final accord depends on Israel quitting all of the West Bank, where the vast majority of settlers live.
Sharon says Israel will never cede West Bank settlement blocs, although he has hinted that dozens of smaller enclaves could be removed under a future peace agreement.
Pre-election power struggles on both sides militate against viable peacemaking anytime soon. Sharon is talking tough on settlement blocs to counter opposition from rightist hard-liners in his own party. Abbas faces a strong challenge from Hamas, a military group sworn to Israel’s destruction, in a January parliamentary poll.
Meanwhile, the European Union yesterday promised stepped-up support for creating a viable Palestinian state, including additional aid and actions to strengthen the political clout of the Palestinian Authority.
Senior officials said between 200 to 300 million euros in fresh European Union funds for Palestinians could be made available in the coming years, provided there was progress in Middle East peace efforts and other donors also chipped in with more money.
A 15-page EU paper mapping out future cooperation between the European Union and Palestinians said the 25-nation bloc wanted to help build a Palestinian state which was economically viable and was a modern democracy.
“Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip and parts of northern West Bank is a significant step, offering the best chance of sustained peace in the region for many years,” the EU paper said.
But it was essential to keep up the momentum for peace and ensure that Palestinians and Israelis could see “real benefits” from the disengagement, including improved security for Israel and better economic and social conditions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Progress on creating a Palestinian state, was also essential, the EU underlined.
“We want to revive the Palestinian economy and build up institutions,” said European Union external relations chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
“Europe is ready to be a real partner for peace as long as real efforts are made by all parties to create the climate for success,” added Ferrero-Waldner.
Improved prospects for peace prompted by Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza last month must not be allowed to “slip through our fingers,” she insisted.
The commissioner said recent calls for more aid for the Palestinians made by James Wolfensohn, the special United Nations envoy for Gaza, implied an increase of 200 to 300 million euros ($240 to 360 million) in EU aid to the Palestinian territories.
Provided there was progress in the peace process and other donors made similar efforts, Ferrero-Waldner said the EU was ready to propose the mobilization of additional funds for Palestinians.
— With input from agencies
